I Was a Teenage Kitsune
by Critterz11
Summary: After a light-night dare to explore the woods, something supernatural comes over Naruto and let's just say...it's about to become even more beastly. Naruto Werefox AU, based on traditional werewolf/werebeast stories and movies in inspiration. Contains some language, minor blood/gore and horror/fear elements.
1. Prologue

Have you ever felt strange? Like you weren't yourself, an impulse that you were feeling but at the same it really wasn't you. Feeling like a monster basically, well...I do have a story to share based on that. Just a few years back in this peaceful little town, things were never the same after one night. An evening where one of my closest friends...turned into a beast.

It was a crisp October evening. Everyone was preparing for the haunting season, the one night where kids would dress in masks and costumes, going around with playful instinct and a sense of pranks and mischief. It was also a night for other festivities, such as singing, dancing and telling treacherous tales under the moonlight. I was accompanying my friend, Naruto. You see, Naruto was a bit of an odd fella...but, he had a good heart and a sense of humor. That was perfecting given what the haunting season was about, and the both of us would always go out to set off a good scare to our other friends.

"So, what's the plan this year, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked. The scrawny, but surprisingly well-built boy with fair skin, light blonde hair and eyes dark blue as sapphires spoke, his face turning up a smirk.

I rubbed the back of my neck, wondering what our scheme was as it had not been set into action. My messy, brownish-black hair which grew long at the ends, but held in a husk-shaped braid, blew with the autumn winds as I gazed my brown eyes around. "You know what Naruto..." I spoke. "I was thinking this year we should improvise."

"Improvise?" Naruto questioned, a bit unamused by me not having any clear ideas. "Shikamaru, you're usually the schemer of these things..what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, just, hear me out." I informed at Naruto. "You know how the kids sometimes go up the eastern creek by the woods to get treats at that strange old house?"

Naruto began to grasp what I was speaking on, as he was thinking himself. "The one supposedly haunted by the spirit of a farmer who died on the night of their harvest?"

Nodding my head slowly, I smiled. "Yes...but, you know ghosts are just things of make-believe, right?" Naruto also agreed, smirking a bit more.

"Yeah, let's go hide out there and once we hear the kids approach, we'll scare them as if we were ghosts!" I said. Naruto cackled with playfulness in his attitude, agreeing on my were cut off though when somebody had overheard us nearby.

"Really? You two are going to hide in a dark, murky and probably infested with rustic, serrated old tools scattered everywhere just to make a quick laugh on scaring some kids?" The voice questioned, in an unamused tone. It came from a girl the same age as us, with short, pink bob-cut hair and serious teal eyes. It was Sakura, a fellow friend of ours.

"Oh come on Sakura, you know me and Shika live for this every time it's the haunt night!" Naruto laughed off, awkwardly smiling in response to her inquisition. Sakura just raised her brow, unamused by both me and Naruto's childish antics.

"I don't care. It was funny when we were kids to do that kind of sort of mischief, but, we're a bit older now, we should going out on this festivity to have some mature fun, like, meeting up with the others and maybe dancing in the calm, full moonlight." Sakura insisted. "How it'd be lovely on a clear moonlit night to cavort with my dearest Sasuke, as everyone serenades on in their hearts." The mention of Sasuke was enough to make Naruto turn off, disgusted. I didn't mind the guy, but, he could be a bit arrogant and sometimes surly.

"What about you Shikamaru?" Sakura turned, asking me in a more affable manner. "You're telling me you want to pull tricks for treats than share a wonderful evening with lovely Ino?" I blushed a bit by her flattering comments. Ino was Sakura's best friend, a smart, sharp-witted girl with flowing light blonde hair and eyes that gleamed an icy blue. It was not in my instinct to let anyone openly know, but, Ino was one person I did feel a bit smitten for.

"Well...honestly...I was already..." I mumbled, unsure to give a evident response. Had Sakura caught on to my feelings for Ino being honest? Or, was this just a girl's way of playing a haunt night prank? She giggled lightly anyways, just informing that it would be a better option to maybe come to the dance then go out of danger's way just for a cheap laugh and thrills.

Naruto blew her a raspberry of his tongue, wiggling his hand on his nose in an impish manner once she was gone.

"Nonsense!" Naruto joked. "As if we wanted to do that kind of crap instead of having some traditional, spooky pleasure. Especially with a dolt like Sasuke, what does she see in a guy like him? Bad taste if you ask me, am I right, Shikamaru?" He questioned.

My mind reverted back to the question he was muttering on about. "Oh...right, yeah. It's more fun to just do our own thing anyways, keep it traditional...regardless if we're a bit too old by her standards."

"Haha, yeah!" Naruto nodded, smiling. "Anyways, that whole thing about us playing pretend as ghosts at the old house. Sounds like it'd be fun, maybe we could get some light-colored dust or flour to coat ourselves with, or, would we go old-fashioned and just make some spooky sounds with a white sheet over ourselves?"

"You know, we could do both." I added, smirking back at him.

"Alright, you're the brains of this scenario anyways." Naruto added.


	2. Chapter 1

The following day, I had went over to Naruto's place. Since his father was the mayor of our town, and his mother was helping out in community activities, it wasn't too hard to go and find him. It was a large house with three floors, a tower-like structure to the side that was all textured in a rough, light cream dash with crimson roofing. I approached up the stairs onto the deck foundation and knocked on the door. It slid open as Kushina, Naruto's mom, answered.

"Oh, hi Shikamaru" Kushina politely stated. "If you're looking for Naruto, he's upstairs in his room."

I smiled, thanking her as I headed inside. "Just be careful if you're going out for another festivity of playing jokes this year." Kushina informed.

"Wait, is something wrong?" Was what I had questioned her, upon hearing what she mentioned.

"Oh, it's pretty bad." Minato, Kushina's husband and the father of my best friend, spoke rather roughly. "There's been reports of some cryptic thing...I don't know what it is, if it's a monster or just someone...lurking by dusk to ambush those passing by."

"Ambush?" My throat caught up a bit in my neck, surprised and kind of nervous. I took a deep breath, then asked further on what Minato was explaining.

"We're unsure." Minato added. "But, based on the description Sula had told me, it'd be best for anyone heading east into those woods to not progress alone, or even, stay clear." Sula was a fellow town resident, and that girl could be frightened easily. "Based on what she described, the shadowy figure looked almost vulpine, sly, a beast with long tails sprawling out of its backside."

"You mean, a kitsune?" The words I spoke, surprised. "But that'd be impossible, kitsunes and fox-folk are just made-up stories, urban legends, things kids would laugh off as they got older from celebrating nights of tricks and treats."

"Indeed." Kushina added. "I know you too have been doing all kinds of practical humor on this night for years since you were young, but, just please be careful. Stay clear of that path, maybe try setting up a haunted house or something in the community center." The crimson-haired woman, said, a bit cautious. I nodded, as I was going to inform Naruto maybe we could have a change of plans. If there was word of a monster out, it's obvious no kids would even dare head out on an open trail at night alone like that. We could still disguise as ghosts, as our fair trend of trickery would be best suited in the safety of our town.

"No way..." Naruto grumbled, folding his arms. "I don't believe one word they're saying. It's obvious my parents are just telling tales to make me reconsider my mischievous schemes."

"I felt the same way..." I added, but then explained. "Sula reported sights of a beast, something very unnatural was lurking about in that section of the woods and it wasn't worth a risk of danger."

"You know I laugh at danger!" Naruto laughed off, showing a brash smirk on his face. He was definitely being impetuous on this, but I had to reason for his own well-being. "And besides, Sula's an old, delusional woman anyways."

"Naruto, just listen to me..." I tried to reason with my best friend. He shrugged it off, then spoke on his own words.

"Shikamaru, don't believe those kinds of scary stories. We all know ghosts, goblins and especially monstrous fox-faced folk are all fictional. It's part of the fun of the season. It's like I said, my parents are just trying to make me amend to what they're saying. If you're so scared into believing that, tell you what, tonight you and me will head off and I shall prove there isn't some monster lurking about." He chuckled.

"I'm not scared, you dolt...I'm just concerned because I don't want you getting into severe trouble in the case of something dangerous is really lurking out there!" I exclaimed at him. Of course, Naruto just rubbed it off as if I was believing something and a bit fearful in reaction. "You know what, fine...but, I'm bringing something or two in case  
there really is a damn beast out there."

"Alright, have it your way and we'll set out around ten or eleven, once my folks are asleep." Naruto added, still laughing.

That night, it was just about fifty past ten when I approached the yard of Naruto's house once again. The lights had been dimmed, as Minato and Kushina were asleep. I saw Naruto waiting for me about at the pagoda tree in the front yard, he smiled confident I had some courage. Somewhat, that was, I mean I had packed for defense purposes in case something was out there and ready to prowl upon us.

"I see you got your shotgun loaded, even though you'll just cease fire anyways." He winked, smiling still. Informing him the shotgun was in case some monster were to attack us, I'd blow it through the head before it could lay its fang or a single claw on us. "Okay...I mean there won't be any monster, but you did have a keen shot when you killed that wolf attacking the cows on your family's farm." Naruto added. It was true, I did stop a rather relentless wolf that was trying to prey on our livestock last year.

"Also got a blade, in case that thing has us cornered, I'll slice its throat open!" I added, still trying to keep self-assured.

"Right." Naruto responded. He was still in deep presume that nothing was going to happen, but I doubted it with every instinct in my mind. We both began to head up out of our town, creeping about stealthily in the shadows not to draw attention. Once we got out in the opening, we headed up the bridge east to the woodland territory that was supposedly"haunted by a beast".

The night air chilled a bit, the wind baying in gusts. Above us, the night sky was a bit murky, as the moon hid behind the comfort of some grey clouds. The ambiance of toads and insects croaking and chirping was the only noise that echoed in our surrounding aside from our footsteps. Naruto unraveled some of the branches and shrubs in our way, so that was it clear for us to walk around. "See...I told you there's nothing to be afraid of." He added, whispering.

"I'm not really afraid, I'm just cautious..." I whispered back, hands trembling with the shotgun. Naruto nodded, as we both crept into the comfort of a leafy bush. The both of us scoped the area, seeing as it was clear, and then rushed ahead. We were heading down the trail for a stream, to the area that was supposedly described as the beast's territory. Both Naruto and myself were searching around, seeing as if there was anything left by this monster when they last trailed through. It seemed pretty clear for the most part, until I saw some claw marks embedded in the bark of a tree.

"It's probably just a bear's claws, you know." Naruto added. It indeed resembled a bear's clawing method of marking territory, but, the scratches were far too small to come from such a large animal.

"Maybe a badger then?" Naruto added. I just squinted my eyes and looked away, unamused.

"I guess you were right..." I added, taking a sigh of relief as I placed the shotgun down to my side. "There is probably nothing unnatural here."

"See, I told you, Shika, that it was just a bunch of talk!" Naruto joked. "My parents, what stories they can come up with..." He went on, speaking. I began to feel an anxious tension as I heard the sound of leaves rustling over Naruto's bluffing. There was indeed some kind of animal approaching, and it wasn't like a little squirrel or the such. Branches cracked as it stomped further and further in our direction.

And to add on more, I think you should've seen how shaky you..." Naruto was cut short as I trembled, picking up the shotgun and loading it in hand. "What?" He questioned, as I directed his attention behind him.

A large, shadowy animal figure stood on its rear legs, tails sprawling of mangy fur from between. Its ears perked up, and its eyes gleamed with soulless, yellow sclera. It let out a shrill bark as it lunged ahead at us with powerful claws.


End file.
